NFL star from Bucks plays ‘Millionaire’ for Philly hospital

Justin Pugh, an offensive tackle for the New York Giants grew up in Holland in Bucks County, "a die-hard Eagles fan. My best friend has an Eagles logo tattooed on his chest."

Friday he'll be pulling hard for Shriners Hospitals for Children when he goes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (2 p.m. on 6ABC). He'll be donating all his winnings to the medical facility on North Broad Street.

"When I was a little kid, my cousin was a patient there," he says, "and I remember hearing about all the wonderful things they did for my aunt and cousin."

An inveterate Jeopardy! player, Pugh studied hard for his Millionaire appearance.

"I downloaded the game app and played it for months on my phone," he says. "I'm pretty good at geography, history and sports but I'm not so good with pop culture." So he read widely to beef up his knowledge.

After playing at Council Rock High School South on the offensive and defensive lines, he matriculated to Syracuse University because it was the only school to give him an athletic scholarship. "I wasn't a heralded recruit," he says. "Even Temple didn't offer me a scholarship and they were right in my backyard."

After two seasons with the Giants, Pugh has learned to dread the annual ritual of his team travelling down the Jersey Turnpike to Lincoln Financial Field to play the Eagles. That's because everyone he grew up around starts pestering him for tickets.

"Next year I'm not even talking to anybody," he declares. "I'm just going to show up and play." Final answer?

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